BEARS' PROBLEM? A PROPENSITY FOR INTENSITY

Terry ArmourCHICAGO TRIBUNE

There seems to be a little problem with the Bears. It happened last weekend in Green Bay and it looked like it was going to happen again Sunday against the Rams at Soldier Field. The Bears have gotten off to slow starts in their last two games. They never recovered against the Packers and were promptly smoked. The Bears looked flat in the early going against the Rams before a couple of big defensive plays got their juices flowing en route to their 27-13 victory. Could the Bears be lacking intensity? "If anything, we're too intense sometimes," said safety Mark Carrier. "We get so excited sometimes that we have to get into the flow of the game to relax. There's nothing wrong with that-you'd rather have it that way than the other way." Maurice Douglass, who along with Jay Leeuwenburg forced a key Todd Kinchen fumble with 5:33 left in the third quarter, agreed. "We're a little too emotional at the beginning of a game," Douglass said. "We're so hyped up inside that we really need to slow down a little bit and let the flow of the game come into play."

Hanging out: A pretty intense guy in his own right, Blackhawk Chris Chelios stopped by the Bears' locker room to congratulate the players after the game. This should come as no surprise: Chelios would rather be playing hockey right now.

The question: With the Bears moving a little closer to the playoffs, is it safe to call them overachievers? "No," said tight end Marv Cook. "We're just a reflection of our head coach." Incidentally, Dave Wannstedt and New England's Bill Parcells could also be battling for Coach of the Year honors when the Patriots roll into town on Christmas Eve. The Pats (9-6) are trying to snare a playoff spot for the first time since 1986.

Did you know? Three former College of DuPage football players-Martez Benas, Vance Mayes and Jon Dorma-played in Saturday's Division I-AA championship game. Mayes, who played at DuPage in 1991 and 1992, is a defensive back for Youngstown State, which beat Boise State 28-14 for its third title in four years. Dorma, who played at DuPage in '92 and '93, is a kicker for Youngstown. Benas, who played on the '92 and '93 DuPage teams, started at guard for Boise.

Around the town: Former Olympic skater Debi Thomas will hold a free skating clinic for 4th- and 5th-grade students from Cabrini-Green's St. Joseph Elementary School from 1-3 p.m. Monday at the "Skate on State" ice rink on the corner of Randolph and State streets. . . . Former Bears Dennis McKinnon and Dan Hampton will host a "For Ladies Only" football clinic from 7-8 p.m. Monday at Walter Payton's Thirty Four's in Schaumburg. There also will be a trivia contest for a fur coat from Evan's and autographed jerseys from McKinnon and Hampton. . . . Bears Dante Jones and Ryan Wetnight are scheduled to be on hand for the World's Largest Office Party on Monday evening at the downtown Hyatt Regency.

Worthy cause: Joe Paschen and former Bear Glen Kozlowski have put together a silent auction of sports memorabilia at 6 p.m. Tuesday during the weekly taping of SportsChannel's "Sports With Paschen" at Moretti's, 1645 W. Jackson St. The benefit is for Bob Baer, a free-lance television photographer who has worked for ESPN and CNN. Baer suffered a stroke this fall, but had only limited medical insurance. Non-perishable food will also be collected at the door to support the Guildhaus Recovery Homes of Chicago.

In closing: There are plenty of worthy causes for people to get involved with during this holiday season, including making donations to the Tribune Holiday Fund. It's relatively painless. All you need is a pair of scissors to cut out the coupon under this column. Then you send some cash to help the less fortunate. How hard could that be?